‘I can’t brainstorm … I’m not a creative person!!!’

WRITTEN BY: Marilyn Barefoot

Did someone ever say to you ‘You’re not a creative person’?

Well whomever it was … they were wrong … and I love proving those people wrong every day!

When guests walk into a brainstorming session, I regularly hear them say …

‘I don’t know why I am here … I can’t brainstorm … I am not a creative person!’

When I hear ‘I am not a creative person’ I know that at the heart of that statement is fear … fear of looking or sounding ‘stupid’ in the eyes of your colleagues or boss … fear of being judged … fear of being outside your comfort zone … fear of failure … fear of the unknown.

Creativity is in all of us and we can access it easily if we are given a simple process. It’s all about divergent and convergent thinking.

Here is a great exercise we used last week during a strategic planning offsite with Canon Canada.

Grab a stack of magazines. Cut out a bunch of random pictures that appeal to you – make sure there are no words in, or on the pictures … just the pictures. You can ask your kids to help you … just make sure they are using kid scissors! Use a glue stick and paste the pictures on pieces of cardboard – you are creating your own set of photo cards. Shuffle your new cards and turn them facedown. Now, frame your question this way ‘How can we solve this task/problem using (the random object on the card)? You will be amazed at all of the great ideas you will come up with!

In May of this year, I fulfilled a lifelong dream of visiting the Picasso museum in Barcelona. It was one of the most incredible days of my life. Amidst the incredible works of art, was a series of equally incredible Picasso words.

“The chief enemy of creativity is good sense.”

“It takes a very long time to become young.”

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist   once she grows up.”

You ARE a creative person. Your inner creativity IS there! It’s just a matter of unlocking it – and that’s EASY to do. It can lead to inventions, different ways of looking at life, and wonderful ways of problem solving – either business or personal!

“Youth has no age!”